Starfleet Never Repealed Its Genocide Order, Even After Admiral Reeger Used It

The fact that a Starfleet officer wants to destroy an entire population is not, on its own, reason enough for a command fitness review.

Kirk's Threat Might Have Been a Bluff, But I Cannot Say For Sure

We see General Order 24 used as a bluff by Kirk. Maybe. We do not know for sure, but when I watch that scene, I get the feeling he never actually intended to go through with it. In the end, we honestly do not know, but I think that is the kindest interpretation available to us.

What I could say in Kirk's defense is that the population in question was actively hostile to the Federation.

Garth Was Genuinely Insane, Reeger Was Genuinely Vengeful

Garth had genuine intent to use the order, but he was categorically insane. Reeger also had genuine intent to use it, and nothing stopped him until it came out that he was doing it purely as revenge.

If it had been carried out as policy, if there had been a little more evidence behind it, there apparently would not have been a problem.

The Order Itself Is Never Repealed

I think the most telling detail across all of this is that the order is never repealed after any of these events. Starfleet's answer is never to remove the order because of the damage it could cause. Instead, the response is just to stop that particular officer. This is perhaps the most damning thing for me, because you cannot really get mad at the military for using a policy it was given.

Well, unless you are Picard. Picard says: "Starfleet is not a military organization. Its purpose is exploration."

Blame the Institution, Not the Officer Who Was Handed the Tool

If you give a tool like this to someone in the military, they are going to use it. So why would I get mad at someone for using what they were given? The person I can get mad at is the institution, the one that would allow and even authorize genocide in the first place. That, on its own, is wrong. But what is even more damning to me is that there are so few safeguards built around it.

The Only Safeguard I Could Find Barely Works

When I looked at what Starfleet could actually do to stop this if it wanted to, the only mechanism I could find was General Order 104, Section C, command fitness. In the scene where it gets used, an officer tells Admiral Reeger: "Admiral Reeger, in accordance with Starfleet order 104, section C, I am certifying you as unfit and immediately relieving you of command."

Here is the problem. That mechanism has never been used cleanly. In this instance, with this specific general order, it was only invoked after the admiral had been drugged. They had to find a way to make command fitness be the excuse. That is terrifying to me.

A man decides to destroy an entire population, and the fact that he wants to destroy an entire population is not reason enough on its own for a command fitness review. They have to literally poison him for the safeguard to work.